The invention relates to a guide crank or rocker for connection to a side edge region of sliding cover of a sun roof for a motor vehicle for displacing the slide cover relative to the roof opening. Under the "sun roof"should here be understood all roof constructions and also simple, front, hinge-pivotable ventilation flaps, the roof opening cover of which is displaced by a rocker secured to the cover for effecting displacement. In a known sunroof (DE 16 05 960 B2) with guide rockers of the given type, the rocker body if formed as a flat bar of a wear-resistant material, e.g., poly-.di-elect cons.-Caprolaktam. The displacement-controlling slots extend in the base bodies longitudinally and, in accordance with the desired characteristics of the cover displacement, are formed of a plurality of slot sections extending in different directions. Because via the guide pins, which are engaged in the slots, increased forces can be transmitted to the rocker bodies, they, for reasons of strength, should have correspondingly increased dimensions, in particular if the slots extends through the entire thickness of the rocker bodies and/or, because of the desired smaller height of the rocker bodies and the sunroof, they should extend immediately adjacent to the outer edges of the rocker bodies.
In order to reduce the width of rocker bodies which, for reasons of strength and other requirements, are made relatively thick, it was proposed (G 91 16 421.4) to form the rocker body of a sheet metal, with only the guide paths of the guide slots being formed of a plastic material. Advantageously, in this case, the plastic material is sprayed onto the guide slots, which have correspondingly greater dimensions in the sheet metal, to form guide path linings. Alternatively, it was proposed to form the plastic guide path of the rocker slot as mold parts and mount them in the region of the rocker slot on the rocker. When the guide path is sprayed on the guide slot in the sheet metal as a plastic lining, a different spraying device would be required for manufacturing of the left and right guide rockers. Further, additional manual inlay processes are required. Different spraying devices are also required when the plastic guide paths are produced as separate mold parts for later mounting on rockers. Finally, the guide rockers of a sheet material, because of folding and the attachment of connecting elements only on one side, would be formed differently for use as right and left rockers.
The object of the invention is to so form a guide rocker that it would have a greater dimensional stability, at reduced height and width, under all loads, which occur under working conditions of the sunroof, can be economically manufactured, and would be used as both right and left guide rocker, without any additional measures.